...authentic... ...pure... and also delicious. ♪ like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. because natural is not only good, it also tastes good. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious. >> a landmark "oprah show" event. oprah: 200 men courageously stand together to say they were all molested. >> tomorrow.

oprah: garth brooks is back with us with a special performance. here he is singing "the dance." >> ♪ looking back on the memory of the dance we shared 'neath the stars above for a moment all the world was right yeah but how could i have known that you'd ever say good-bye? and now i'm glad i didn't know the way it all would end the way it all would go

our lives are better left to chance i could have missed the pain but i'd have had to miss the dance [cheering] holding you i held everything and for a moment wasn't i a king? but if i'd only known how the king would fall hey, who's to say? you know, i might have changed it all

and now i'm glad i didn't know the way it all would end the way it all would go our lives are better left to chance i could have missed the pain but i'd have had to miss the dance yes, my life it's better left to chance i could have missed the pain but i'd have had to miss the dance ♪ [cheering] oprah: wasn't that sweet? [cheering]

oprah: he's something. he's the real deal. he is the real deal. go see garth at the encore theater at the wynn hotel in las vegas. thanks, everybody. bye-bye. [captioning made possible by king world] [captioned by the national captioning institute[br] --www.ncicap.org--]

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welcome back, everybody. for many americans the crisis in libya is something going on halfway around the world and really has little to do with their lives. but for others, it is something that really does hit right at home. >> absolutely. that includes a libyan american hip-hop artist who has been inspired by his countrymen. aaron katersky has more. ♪ >> reporter: you've got such a compelling backstory. how did you get to where you are? >> my father was actually in jail in libya for five years. he was tortured every single day. he was part of the student protest that was against gadhafi's regime. i remember the lashes on his back, the scars he would get, but he escaped before he was supposed to be executed. he made it to tunisia on foot. in the subsequent years he was

kind of on the run from country to country while gadhafi's goons were out to get him, basically. >> reporter: given your family history and hearing what's going on in the country now, is there any doubt in your mind about what the opposition is facing or about what the rebels are saying is actually going on in the country? >> there's not a shred of doubt. we've been speaking to people on the inside on a daily basis. they're are really gruesome horror stories, things that aren't even making the mainstream news. we hear they're going into hospital and killing doctors, ransacking blood banks and pouring out blood so nobody can get donations. we've heard they're driving injured protesters into the hospitals and killing them there so it doesn't look like they were killed out in the streets. the saddest part is that it's not shocking to us. you know, it's not a surprise. >> reporter: is a positive outcome possible? >> people have gotten too close to turn back now. it's not a matter of if gadhafi will be gone, it's a matter of when he'll be gone.

♪ if you never heard before or seen me before i turn the lights out ♪ >> reporter: what's the new song about? >> the new song we should be releasing today is "can't take our freedom." ♪ visions of dreams i should have seen ♪ ♪ but if the people in egypt and tunis can do this decide their fate why wouldn't we ♪ >> it's basically an uplifting song to give hope and motivation to the people inside libya and let them know we're watching and we're hoping and praying for them. >> reporter: do you have a favorite lyric you can share? >> basically the chorus sums it up and says you can't take our freedom, you can't take our soul, you are not the one in control. it's letting us know and letting everybody else know that regardless of what this maniac does, what this brutal psychopath does, the people still have their freedom on the inside. everybody's in high spirits. he's not going to take that away from us. ♪ can't take our freedom and take our souls take our freedom and take our souls ♪

♪ you are not the one that's in control ♪ ♪ you are not the one that's in control ♪ >> reporter: thanks very much. i really appreciate it. it's great to meet you. >> no problem. thank you for having me. >> interesting guy there. you have to wonder, he made that comment about gadhafi, when he leaves, but all the news reports these days suggest he's retaking control of the country, so you don't know whether gadhafi is really out certain of yet. he's inspired. coming up, who's playing sarah palin in a new made-for-tv film and it is not tina fey. >> going rogue! and charlie sheen says he's sorry. who's getting an apology and why? your latest charlie sheen news. your latest charlie sheen news. why? your latest charlie sheen news.

♪ skinny so skinny time now for "the skinny." >> oh, yes. let's get the charlie sheen out of the way. i know we're on charlie overload. let me get through this. he gave another radio interview and shockingly offered apology to one individual and also made an endorsement for who he'd like to see get his job on the show

as the new charlie harper. take a listen. >> now, you know, i'll apologize to jon right now. i was in a mood and i threw that out there. >> are you apologizing now to jon cryer? >> a little bit. it's half an apology. it's an apol. talking to rob, a buddy of mine, he's a beautiful man, a brilliant actor and i hope he does it and kicks [ bleep ] because, you know, i still get pa-zayed. >> he still gets paid. >> there you have it. charlie kind of apologizing to his co-star jon cryer because he said yesterday, oh, he's a troll, called him all these names and what he offered there was a half apology. trying to mend fences there a little bit. and also endorsed rob lowe to be the guy to come in and take his spot on the show. other names floated around including matt dillon, john stamos and jason alexander, george from "seinfeld" jokingly threw his name in. seems like maybe this media tsunami as he called it is

coming to an end. >> oh, please. >> he was back on "the dan patrick show" yesterday where this all began and said, this could be my final interview, which is symbolic. this is where it all began and where it all ends. he says i'm fed up with the media because he thinks they twisted his story and have been condescending in the way they put his story out there. this could be it. also more charlie news he put a posting out monday for an intern to help him out. 74,000 people have applied on internships.com to be charlie sheen's intern. what that job would entail, god, who knows. a lot of folks, recession still out there. >> i do agree, it's a sign of sanity that he apologized to jon cryer because that guy's done nothing wrong. he's been standing on the sidelines quite wisely. >> could be charlie media could be winding down, maybe. tina fey, move on over, here comes julianne moore, talking about the adaptation of the book "game change" about the 2008 presidential election. >> a fantastic book.

>> when everybody got interested in this newcomer called sarah palin. now, many people have been on palin overdose but it looks like julianne moore has been tapped to play her in the film adaptation. we want to know what you think about this. go to our facebook page wwnfans.com and let us know. who should play obama, mccain -- >> the rest of the crew. >> the snow machine, todd. >> the whole thing, the whole gang. also sad news. this is a story we talked about a little bit we couldn't get to yesterday. from "celebrity rehab," you knew mike starr who passed away. >> so tragic, his friend from alice in chains also passed away. it was so sad to lose him because it looked like he was going to make it. >> he had several troubles. >> tough, tough addiction. >> reports he was actually mixing drugs hours before his death, so we went to send our condolences to his family. also back in the news, the salahis. >> salahi was booted from "celebrity rehab" because she lacked an addition other than being a media attention monger. >> her husband says he's going to sue for kicking her off but

says her only addiction is chocolate and "us weekly." whatever she spends her time reading. >> salahis, go away, go away. >> take a step back. >> crash the mental institution, how about that? >> take a step back. >> crash the mental institution, how about that? r stroke but if you've been diagnosed with p.a.d., or have pain or heaviness in yur legs, i want to talk to you. you may have heard of poor leg circulation, which could be peripheral artery dsease, or p.a.d. with p.a.d., if you have poor circulation in your legs, you may also have poor circulation in your heart or in your brain, your risk for heart attack or stroke is more than doubled with p.a.d. now, ask yourself: am i at risk? if you're not sure, call for this free information kit to learn more. [ female announcer ] call the toll free number on the screen now to find out what the risks of p.a.d. really are. you'll find a 7-point checklist

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plus it keeps its shape better... and absorbs up to 60% more. ♪ always infinity. created by women for you. here are some stories to watch on abc news. pro union protesters target indiana's republican state lawmakers today. the republicans back anti-union legislation to cut the state budget and angry democrats left the state to avoid those votes on bills they strongly oppose. new labor department figures on weekly unemployment claims are released later on this morning. wall street investors hope a positive economic trend continues after a drop in claims last week. lindsay lohan due in court in los angeles today. there are reports the actress will not accept a plea deal on charges she stole that necklace from a store. lohan is apparently fighting jail time. >> more charlie and lindsay

every day. man. finally this half hour, the end of an amazing 27-year career. we're talking about the shuttle "discovery," which touched down wednesday for its last time. >> this is the world's most flown spaceship and it will now be retired. it will spend the rest of its days at the smithsonian. kevin oliver has more on the end of an era. >> down and locked. >> reporter: you might see "discovery" again but never like this. never again will it fly on its own. nasa's oldest shuttle touched down, ending its 39th and final mission. >> to the ship that has led the way time and time again, we say farewell, "discovery." >> reporter: the shuttle commander, steven lindsey, was the last to climb out. >> as the minutes passed i'm getting -- actually getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight. >> reporter: shuttle manager said "discovery" came back with fewer problems than on any previous mission in its 27-year history, despite a shrinking work force and looming layoffs next month.

>> the people working on this machine didn't skip a beat today. there were no big, you know, emotional outbursts and tears and all that kind of stuff. >> reporter: some said they didn't think the end of the shuttle program would truly sink in until after the last missions of "endeavour" and "atlantis." >> we've got two more flights. we need to keep the focus on those flights and stay diligent and keep working those flights just as hard as we did this flight. >> reporter: nasa planned to move "endeavour" out to the launchpad for final mission but a forecast of afternoon thunderstorms delayed that move. there may have been a strong headwind and a few clouds but the weather early on was just right for "discovery's" final homecoming. "discovery" is headed to its hangar will where it will be decommissioned. engines and other key parts will be taken off. then it is likely going to the smithsonian in washington, d.c. where it will be put on public display. while museums across the country vie for the other two shuttles

"atlantis" and "endeavour." at the kennedy space center, kevin oliver for abc news. >> incredible. you can see why they're getng

this morning on "world news now" -- major move. wisconsin republicans find a way to approve a budget bill that does take bargaining rights away from union public employees. >> how they did it without the democrats and also the controversy ahead. it's thursday, march 10th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm peggy bunker. pro-union protesters wasted no time in taking their anger to the wisconsin state capitol. what's next for this unusual budget bill and also when the democrats may get involved. a change of -- >> for all the drama -- >> change of events there. >> after the drama, a simple

move allowed them to get this done without the democrats. interesting story there. politics never dull. also ahead, journalists from the bbc who say they were taken into custody in libya, beaten and put through mock executions. find out why they were held by the gadhafi regime. and we're going to lighten things up quite a bit and make rob very happy, talking about the royal wedding coming up. we're looking for a royal wedding cake fit for a future king and queen. >> i haven't heard much about this wedding. all right. first, the battle in wisconsin takes a new turn this morning. thousands of protesters have literally stormed into the state capitol after republicans voted to strip public workers of their right to bargain. >> the angry demonstrators broke windows and door locks, forcing police to back off. they're promising to stay until the assembly votes on the bill later on this morning. chris bury reports. >> mr. chairman, this is a violation of law! this is not just a rule. it is the law! >> we're adjourned.

>> no, mr. chairman -- >> reporter: wisconsin senate republicans effectively did an end run in an 18-1 vote they approved that controversial measure, stripping public employee unions of collective bargaining rights. >> this has been building for three weeks. we were at the point now where we thought, you know, all indications were that the democrats were not returning any time soon. we needed to move the process forward. >> reporter: they did it with a legislative maneuver, by removing the proposal from a budget bill, they bypassed the need for a quorum. democrats are outraged. in a statement, minority leader mark miller blasted the republicans saying, quote, their disrespect for the people of wisconsin and their rights is an outrage that will never be forgotten. >> what they want to do is take away any of the substantive collective bargaining reform. if you do not pass major reforms in collective bargaining, local governments will not be able to balance their budgets in the future. >> reporter: the bill which

prompted three weeks of protests in madison heads to the state assembly, where it should pass easily. and republican governor scott walker who championed the bill all along will sign it into law. >> they are so eager to take away the rights that people of this state have enjoyed for 50 years -- >> reporter: those 14 absent democrats are certain to return and the political furor is likely to grow. chris bury, abc news. the severe storms that have ripped through the south may have spawned at least two dozen tornadoes. at least three of them touched down in southern louisiana, packing winds as high as 110 miles an hour. one woman suffered three cracked ribs when a twister threw her from her home. the governor there is among several to declare a state of emergency. and as the deep south dries out, all of that heavy rain poses a major threat to the northeast. new jersey's already flooded after rain storms last weekend. so, now crews have been busy stacking sandbags as another storm approaches.

several rivers have already overflowed their banks and it's not looking good for the next storm. the storm could make a mess out of travel and cause a lot of property damage. >> let's check in with meteorologist ava dinges at accuweather. good morning to you, ava. >> good morning, rob and peggy. the same powerful storm system that brought the severe weather to the south over the past couple of days, now affecting the east and the northeast. we're still talking about a severe threat out there ahead of the storm system into the eastern tier of north car back into the dva, potential of a few isolated tornadoes, high wind and hail, especially into the late half of the day. even these thund wil bring extremely heavy downpours causing concerns of isolated flash flooding. as for the northeast, widespread flooding a potential as we go into friday morning because the storm system ushering in a lot storsowgstem ushering in a lot this rain will be stuck ince for a long period of time. heaviest into the morning in

pennsylvania but shifting to the east coast later half of the day, where some places will s another 2 inches ofn, upwaes iate new that will continue to add water to the rivers, which are alreadt melt frs ve win so, i hope you have your w you need them. >> thanks, ava. there is a developing story out of china we're following this morning. an earthquake there has shook a province in the country's southwest region near the myanmar border. there are many injuries and a growing number of fatalities at this hour. at least a dozen so far. china's news agency says it was a magnitude 5.8 quake that literally leveled a supermarket. members of nato meet today to address the deadly unrest libya but no immediate decision at iming several oil ins bur1 o cameraman were detained at a checkpoint monday and held for nearly a day. they said they saw some rebel prisoners who were tortured while being held.

team of journalists who were literally held by gadhafi's loyalists. a bbc correspondent and his cameraman were detained at a checkpoint monday and held for nearly a day. they said they saw some rebel prisoners who were tortured while being held. the journalists were accused of being spies and subjected to a mock execution. >> i just closed my eyes and asked my god to help me. >> i heard a lot of screaming. and i can't describe. it was horrible. the worst thing i've ever seen. in my life. and i've seen a lot of bad stuff. >> they are safe now and have all since left libya. well, president obama and top advisers discuss the crisis in libya at the white house, to go over diplomatic options for the u.s. as martha raddatz reports, there's a limited list of options. >> reporter: president obama sounded clear enough -- >> the violence must stop. moammar gadhafi has lost legitimacy to lead and he must leave. >> reporter: but that looks less

and less likely. what if gadhafi wins his battle with the rebels? you could see a blood bath with the libyan leader seeking revenge against the thousands who are opposing him. what is the u.s. willing to do to stop him? none of the options are appealing. setting up a no-fly zone to stop gadhafi's fighter jets. that would require hundreds of warplanes and take months to get going. sending in ground forces. no way the u.s. is committing to that. and what about arming the rebels? almost impossible since officials say they aren't certain who the rebels are. and remember, the u.s. helped arm mujahideen fighters in afghanistan in the '80s and some and some of those same armed fighters are terrorists. gadhafi has managed to survive where other dictators have failed because he still has his army, the rebels are disorganized and he seems downright delusional and doesn't seem to care what the rest of the world thinks of him martha raddatz, abc news, washington.

a suspect at the center of a martin luther king day bomb plot has now been arrested in washington state. kevin harpham is accused of leaving a sophisticated bomb in a backpack along the mlk day parade route in spokane. he's linked to a white supremacist group. he's now facing several charges including one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. terrorism in the muslim community is the focus of a controversial hearing today on capitol hill. >> and a new york congressman faces some pretty intense criticism after he called for this hearing. john hendren has the story now. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and peggy. a republican congressman's hearings on muslim-americans has many muslim-americans crying that they are being persecuted. muslim-americans say this is the new mccarthyism. >> mohammed was a child

molester. mohammed was a pervert! >> reporter: outside a fund-raiser for muslim charities in california's conservative orange county, protesters targeted muslims as communists were targeted by congressional investigations in the 1950s. muslim-american leaders say this is the new senator mccarthy, new york republican congressman peter king. he's chairing a thursday hearing titled radicalization in the american-muslim community in the house. >> a body, let's be fair, has done this before. the house on american activities committee was a central ingredient in the mccarthyism that representative king now aims to replicate. >> reporter: king is unapologetic. >> when the major threats to the united states are coming from al qaeda and al qaeda is attempting to recruit in this country -- >> reporter: but king has been accused of abetting terrorist himself. he was a fervent backer of the irish republican army. he is shown with jerry adams, leader of sinn fein. the i.r.a.'s political arm. again, he makes no apology. >> there's no comparison between

i.r.a. and al qaeda. first of all, the i.r.a. never attacked the united states. secondly, the i.r.a., far from perfect record, it was not their policy to attack civilians. >> reporter: he says muslim americans do not cooperate with law enforcements. he uses statistics and tactics many critics say they are mccarthyite, saying 80% to 85% of muslim leaders in america are extremists. a denver area couple might want to consider moving. here's why. a car crashed right into their bedroom on monday afternoon and it was all captured on their surveillance cameras. now, the reason they have the cameras up, they say their property has been struck by cars a total of 14 times. so, they put up the camera system, seven different cameras there, to catch drivers who house. i'm thining,s,ig, haou t pack upmve. three, i' what's the problem? >> you see some homes built right there --

>> on a corner. >> -- and you wonder if they have that situation. you know, people overshoot the mark and end up in the living room. >> pack up and go, man. bad drivers out there, too. some racy billboards are turning heads in northwest indiana. you actually won't believe who's behind these. >> that's right. gigantic ads are directing people to, quote, myemptysexlife.com, put up by a church and the goal is to promote an upcoming series on sex and how tthe your marriage. >> the pastor says he wants to discuss the topic openly be sex is a health married couples but some people say, well, that billboard is ly ipria >> packws, folks in, talking about things they want to talk about. >> no pun intended. we'll be back with more "world news now." >> you're bad. so you get ridiculously low prices, backed by our low price guarantee. like four stars in chicago, travelocity published price $189.

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congress over federal funding, now two top executives have been forced to resign after one was caught on tape bashing republicans. >> not good. the now-former executive was caught in a sting calling the tea party a racist organization. as ron claiborne reports, a guerrilla journalist is behind the whole sting. >> reporter: this is the latest in a series of what's called undercover guerrilla videos by the 26-year-old conservative activist aimed at ensnaring and embarrassing what he considers liberal groups. last year o'keefe and a female assistant taped a.c.o.r.n. workers advising them how to conceal criminal activities. to get a home loan. >> so you get child tax credit. >> reporter: other targets have included planned parenthood and the new jersey teachers union. the tools of his trade, a hidden camera, and actors, sometimes including himself, doing brazen impersonations. the prostitute at the a.c.o.r.n. office. a woman claiming to be an

underaged girl asking for an abortion. and an aspiring teacher. but this time o'keefe was more sophisticated, going so far as to set up a website for the fictitious muslim group in case npr checked. last year after pleading guilty to trying to illegally videotape inside louisiana senator mary landrieu's new orleans office, o'keefe told george stephanopoulos on "good morning america" that his goal was to expose scandal and hypocrisy. >> i consider myself an investigative journalist. these are tactics journalists have been using for decades, going undercover, posing as subjects. >> james o'keefe sees the media as liberal and is trying to find a counterbalance by going after liberal institutions he thinks the mainstream press won't touch. of course, he does that by lying and deception, but it has been, you have to admit, pretty effective. >> reporter: because of his misdemeanor conviction o'keefe is on three years probation but nonetheless he vows to continue his campaign from what he calls chaos for glory.

>> tough time with the pledge drive going on for npr. this is a critical time for them to gather as much support as they can. >> for the smaller stations that do need the money. the funny thing here, when the special meeting was requested, npr asked for the donors and tax forms, all the information about the group. they never got that information but despite the red flags, went ahead with the meeting anyway. look where it got them. >> which probably should have been tipped off to that a little earlier on. in any case, coming up, no tasteful wedding is complete without a fantastic wedding cake. there they are, your friends, wills and kate. >> if you were a future king and queen, what would you serve to your wedding guests? sample those sweets next. e to your wedding guests? sample those sweets next. s?

♪ oh, yes. >> or maybe not.

>> no, maybe not. when it comes to the upcoming royal wedding, we've talked about almost everything every day. >> right. >> the dress, the wedding party, the ceremony and of course even the bachelor party has made news. >> i'm enjoying it. i don't know what your problem is. no wedding is complete without a cake to cut but who will be baking the royal cake? take a look. here's nick watt. >> reporter: this is the cake store's audition. this is what they could make if they get the regal nod. >> the making of it and the delivering of it would be a bit daunting, but we'd certainly have a go. >> reporter: daunting, even for the biggest wedding cake maker in the land. they're not afraid of a chocolate covered coronet, pipe, ribbons or top hats. they have 13 decorators on staff, but they are afraid of royal wedding cake. >> the responsibility of providing a cake for such a huge and historic event, with all of the crests and coats of arms,

something quite traditional, even if the inside isn't the traditional. >> reporter: what kind of cake might it be? >> a fruit cake is more traditional as a wedding cake, although it's very heavy, very rich. and i think maybe a younger couple like catherine and william would like something maybe like a chocolate fudge cake, something more modern. >> reporter: okay. but is the cake store making william and kate's wedding cake? >> i wouldn't be allowed to say if we had been asked to bake william and catherine's cake, i'm afraid. >> reporter: okay. let's try another go. >> all news comes from the palace, i'm afraid. >> reporter: oh, for goodness sake. anyway, another option for william, military man, is to choose a military baker for the big job. that's what his father charles did. i'm talking about for his first wedding, the one to diana. >> the cake is chockful of marzipan. >> reporter: this man made their cake, david avery, a retired navy baker. >> i could tell my wife and family, nobody else.

>> reporter: he kept some as a souvenir. >> i had to go up to london to buckingham palace to see diana. i had a blueprint. she wanted a wedding cake, not a monument. >> reporter: can he share the recipe? >> no, i'm sorry about that. the recipe i got from my mother. >> reporter: a stale slice sold recently on ebay for 1,500 bucks. david avery is retired now so he's not making the cake, but, come on, one more try with the cake store. have these guys got the gig? >> we'll let you know as soon as we can. >> reporter: which with the secrecy surrounding this wedding might be when it's already deemed eaten. nick watt, abc news, london. >> see, doesn't that get you in the spirit? >> i am dying of anticipation. >> you were watching that, you were riveted. >> riveted, yes. >> i'm telling you, you were so interested, i was shocked. >> you said you were married 2 1/2 years. what was your cake?

>> it was a white cake with apricot filling. pretty good. >> sound delicious. >> with champagne. >> look at us. >> check it out. >> your husband may not like it. ook at us.ike we got married. your husband may not like that. >> looks line we got married. what's going on there?

>> announcer: "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> time now for your "morning papers," everyone. talking first and foremost about lost jewels. have you been missing any baubles, diamond rings or -- >> i wondered where my baubles were. >> it's terrible when you lose your baubles. >> hate when that happens. >> do you remember in 2008 a big jewelry heist at harry winston, home of the enormous diamond. hint, hint, honey. that is where this heist went down. 18 rings, three earrings. one of the rings was the size of a marble. this is the place where it was stolen from. turns out they found this whole stash of jewelry outside of a man's home who they found from some dna on an item actually left at the heist.

they went and found all these jewels in a cement block, kind of wrapped in packaging in the back of this guy's house. >> really? >> so, they've been recovered. this is 2008. took them this long to find it. they say the heist was millions and millions of dollars, $110 million they got away with but the jewels have been recovered. i wanted to let you know in case you were shopping. >> shopping. okay, keep that in mind. well, of course, it is lent season for a lot of folks around the world. believe it or not, a popular thing people give up, i'm going to give up sweets like willis, bagels, soda, whatever, fried foods. facebook now is topping the list for things people are giving up. there's a pastor they quoted in fresno who says facebook is huge. it's blown up to be almost ubiquitous. almost compulsive that's why it makes sense to give it up for lent. that's topping people's list to give up for the 40 days between now and easter. the quote in the story said people spend more than 700 billion minutes a month on facebook. 700 billion minutes a month.

half a billion users. >> unbelievable. >> isn't that nuts? >> incredible. if your marriage is on the rocks, if you know things are rough, maybe you should stay off facebook because divorce attorneys are saying one in five divorces cite facebook as part of the problem. >> 20%? >> you reconnect with the old lady, guy, you used to date, you have good nostalgic memories of and divorce attorneys are saying they find people reconnecting, having affairs and busting up the marriage. >> isn't that good to know, maybe the one you're with is not the one you're meant to be with and the girl from high school, dude from way back when -- >> you want to see how they're doing, check in with them. do you have old girlfriends -- >> i'm friends with all, except for the one that punched me, i'm friends with all my ex-girlfriends on facebook, i swear. >> she's the only one you said, denied. >> denied. >> that's a problem. >> interesting. you're not curious about your old flames -- >> oh, i -- the one i'm really curious about is not on

facebook. and i checked for him a couple times. >> oh, see. >> he's not there. i'm just curious. i'm just looking. that's all. >> happy marriages, everybody. i'll get on faababababababababa?

this morning on "world news now" -- march misery, courtesy of mother nature. the widespread damage in the south after tornadoes and floods. >> this morning's state of emergency after a deadly path of destruction. it is thursday, march 10th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everyone. i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm rob nelson. at least one woman was killed in a fire caused by all those southern storms. the big concern this morning is the flooding. rainfall now headed for the already saturated northeast. no rest for the weary in this part of the country. >> that's true. we've had enough, thank you very much.

also, the serious charges filed against mel gibson. this morning there's a plea deal. we'll look into why he will not serve jail time. >> has anyone in hollywood ever served jail time? they find a way to wiggle out of it. mel, we'll see what's up with that. later in the show today, the best ways to get rid of your old electronic gadgets. great advice if you're wanting to trade up to the new ipad. it goes on sale starting tomorrow. >> you'll be one of those camping out overnight, sleeping bag, tent, the whole thing. >> they're getting ready to. >> that's for sure. >>. >> we begin with those ferocious storms that trounced the deep south. >> there were more than two dozen reports of tornadoes that left shredded trees and homes scattered from new orleans to florida. >> numerous flood watches are in effect. steve osunsami reports on the storm's impact. >> reporter: it was an early and ugly wake-up call from central louisiana to the florida panhandle. in alabama, the high winds overturned a semi and demolished

this gas station. people who made it out alive were counting their blessings. >> there's the rotation. >> look at this. you can see the swirl. >> look how low that one is. that one's nasty. >> reporter: at least three tornadoes came tearing through louisiana. the woman who lived here was thrown from her home and suffered three cracked ribs. >> it was scary. she thought she was going to die. i mean, she can't believe she's alive. >> reporter: adding insult to injury, heavy rains caused flooding from new orleans to mississippi, where this woman nearly floated away and they had to rescue families from their homes. >> we had a house that was flooding. went over there and there was about 4 inches of water pouring into the front door, going out the back door. >> reporter: the storm is threatening georgia and the carolinas as it makes its way to the northeast where it's already plenty wet. steve osunsami, abc news, louisiana.

>> all that heavy rain and flooding taking aim at the northeast. downpours are expected through the day from washington to new york, and water-logged new jersey could get up to 4 inches more of rain. the governor has already declared a state of emergency and two swollen new jersey rivers may push floodwaters from last week even higher. >> let's get the latest on this storm system and the damage it could bring. >> our coverage continues now with meteorologist from accuweather, ava dinges. good morning. >> good morning. you can forget about dressing fashionable in the northeast today. today is all about staying dry because we do have a very powerful storm system moving into the region, the same one that sparked that severe weather in the south over the past couple of days, now it's bringing very heavy rain across the mid-atlantic, eventually into the east coast as well. and it's also bringing a bit of snow. mainly a mix out there in upstate new york, even into northern new england to t-b cha& days outside of that, a severe threat across the eastern carolinas

back to virginia with a threat of a few more tornadoes and damaging winds. back to you, rob and peggy. >> thanks. the political standoff at the wisconsin state capitol appears to be over this morning. senate republicans have maneuvered around democrats to pass the bill stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights. the assembly takes up the bill this morning. democrats, who have been holed up across the state line for three weeks now, now say they do plan on returning to the capitol. defense secretary gates attends a nato meeting today where the alliance will address the deadly unrest in libya. the fighting did even more damage yesterday to libya's oil industry as several oil installations literally burned. rebels blamed moammar gadhafi's forces for intentionally targeting the oil business. gadhafi's troops have stopped

every rebel advance on libya's capital and even regained some territory. we are hearing a harrowing report from some bbc journalists. they say they were detained by gadhafi's forces for nearly a day during which time they were repeatedly beaten. the correspondent and cameraman claim they were subjected to a mock execution. one of them says a soldier fired a gun right next to his head. they have been released and have now left libya. in tucson now, the suspect in january's shooting rampage has now pleaded not guilty. 22-year-old jared loughner was in federal court where he came face to face with several survivors of the tragedy. a judge also order him to undergo a psychological evaluation. loughner is expected back in court in late may for a hearing then to determine if he's actually competent to stand trial. we'll get an update on representative gabby giffords' condition tomorrow. a news release may give a clue. it says giffords continues to make strong progress and calls her condition improved. so, great news there. everybody really watching how she's doing. >> it's been an amazing recovery the last several weeks. shifting gears now. federal funding for public broadcasting is hanging in the balance now more than ever following an extremely embarrassing hidden camera

scandal. >> everyone's seen the video now. the ceo and top fund-razor from npr are now both out of a job. also conservative critics are having a field day with this one. john hendren is in washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and peggy. these are difficult days for public broadcasting and that sting operation, it might have just allowed npr critics to do what they have been trying to do all along. ron schiller was meeting with what he thought were potential donors from the fundamentalist muslim brotherhood, offering $5 million, that's when it all unraveled for then-head of fund-raising. >> the current republican party, particularly the tea party, is fanatically involved with people's personal lives. and very fundamentally

christian. >> reporter: he went on, trying to curry favor by disparaging jews, republicans and the tea party. >> they believe in sort of the white, middle america, gun-toting, i mean, it's scary. they're seriously racist, racist people. >> reporter: the donors were offering nothing more than a sting. controversial conservative filmmaker james o'keefe ran that sting. npr's executive also stepped down. it could not have happened at a worse time. republicans wanted to eliminate more than 400 million federal dollars that go to public broadcasting, including npr. so it didn't help when schiller said this. >> it is very clear we're better off in the long run without federal funding. npr would definitely survive. most of the stations would survive. >> reporter: o'keefe targeted npr after it fired ron williams for saying he was sometimes nervous flying with muslims on fox news. williams unleashed on schiller. >> he wants to make it out that npr and he are the really good guys. they're the smart people.

isn't it sad more people like them aren't running america. >> reporter: pbs officials say they were also invited to talk with those donors but they halted talks after the donors could not prove who they were. even before she steps foot in court today, lindsay lohan has already made up her mind. reports say the actress will not accept a plea deal on her felony grand theft case because that deal would come with jail time. newly released surveillance pictures from the jewelry store apparently show a clerk waiting on lohan. the pictures show the clerk watching the actress leave with the $2,500 necklace she's accused of stealing. in the case lohan has pleaded not guilty. there is more turmoil on the set of the world's most expensive broadway musical. "spider-man's" long-time director julie taymor has been replaced. but she'll continue to work on the show. it's the latest blow for the $65 million production. next week's opening has been postponed until summer. just last night there was trouble with yet another high-tech aerial stunt.

an actor got stuck and dangled above the stage for several minutes. you have to think the audience has heard all the hubbub about this and probably enjoyed every minute. >> it probably helps sales. something that's controversial, been in the headlines for all these bad things, it will probably help ticket sales. good luck, spidey. in other news, police in south carolina are on the lookout for a bumbling bad guy exposed by a little wardrobe malfunction. >> this guy's having a bad day. the would-be robber did not get enough practice before targeting a convenience store. he struggled with his mask in front of the security cameras but it just could not get it to stay on. to make it worse, he couldn't get the cash register to open. tries to pull it on. too far down. >> oh, moron. this clumsy crook finally did get that mask on before walking out the door. after all that, it was all for naught. he left the store empty-handed. >> tough guy. >> get it together, man. practice makes perfect. more "world news now" coming up. more "world news now" coming up. get it together, man.

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tmz is reporting academy award winner mel gibson reached a deal with prosecutors in that battery case against him. >> under that deal he will serve no time for the crime, though. kabc's leslie miller has details now from los angeles. >> reporter: oscar winner mel gibson is expected to plead no contest this week to a charge of battery in a move that could allow the actor to avoid jail time for the domestic abuse allegations made by his former girlfriend. >> it's good news in that he basically enters his plea, does domestic violence counseling and it's over. it's bad news in that he chalked up a criminal conviction on his record, even though that, too, can be expunged over time. >> reporter: oksana grigorieva claims gibson punched her in the face and verbally abused her. gibson alleges the russian singer is trying to extort millions of dollars from him. the accusations came out in audio recordings leaked last year while the couple was in a custody battle over their daughter. the recordings also contained

racist and sexist remarks. the 55-year-old gibson has never addressed the recordings. the da's office won't comment on whether a plea deal is imminent but gibson's attorney, blair burke, says the actor asked her to approach prosecutors with a proposal to bring an immediate end to the case in the interests of his children. legal experts say aside from undergoing anger management, gibson will likely be placed on probation. >> so, if he trips again or if he has an act of rage or violence against women, you know, that can land him in jail. so, he's going to have to be on his best behavior for the next couple, three years. >> reporter: this is leslie miller reporting for abc news. >> oh, man. >> charlie sheen is about the best thing that happened to mel gibson. >> makes mel look tame. >> nobody is talking about mel anymore. >> the other side of this case is whether they'll charge -- still undetermined -- the girlfriend in the case with extortion. she could face jail time if they go after her but they haven't announced if a deal has been struck on that end of things.

>> as we said before, if he'll ever work again. after hearing those tapes, people changed their opinion on mel gibson. still dashing in a tux. >> besides all that that boils underneath. when we return, advice for gadget geeks when it's time to replace or upgrade. >> what you can do with your old or obsolete electronics that will make a big difference, even get you some money back. we'll be back with that on back.d news now." we'll be back with that on "world news now."

welcome back, everybody. well, the ipad 2 will go on sale march 11th and technology lovers, of course, cannot wait to get their hands on one, except those who already own the original ipad. so, what do you do if you own

this now very expensive paperweight or other electronic devices that are new one day and outdated the next? joining me with more on what you can do is our technology contributor andrea smith. thank you for being here. we appreciate it. with the ipad 2 about to take over the planet, great advice for folks stuck with the original, wondering, what can i do? >> there are a lot of things you can do. i went on ebay, thousands of listings for ipad on ebay. >> amazing. >> if you don't want to do the auction route, there are many places you can go. there are re-commerce sites, one is gazelle. >> alternatives to selling it on ebay. >> exactly. >> what they do is they buy it back from you. so, this is gazelle.com. they will buy your ipad from you and give you money. >> very nice. >> very nice. >> what's cool here, they give you all the material you need to mail it. they'll send this to you and you mail it back to them. >> i was selling my son's cell phone. i got money for this. they sent me this envelope. they sent me a box.

and they even send a mailing label, prepaid mailing label. you don't mess with anything. you send it all in. >> it's all done for you. >> what you do on these sites is go through a series of question. what's the condition? does it turn on? is the screen scratched? do you have original cables and adapters? then they present you with a price. >> the better condition, the more original parts, the more money you get and move on to the next sale. they, in turn, sell it. >> they sell it. they clean it up, sell it, make more money. >> very cool. what other websites? >> then next worth. they kind of dot same thing. the interesting twist is they partnered with a retail store. so, they're partnered with target. soon you can walk into target and say, here's my ipad. i would like to sell this to you. what will you give me for it? target will give you a target gift card in exchange. >> that's the retail partnership

to differentiate them from gazelle. very nice. then you have money in target -- >> and buy whatever you want there. >> got ya. you said you were selling your son's phone. were you pretty happy? >> what's interesting, on gazelle i got one price and on next worth i got a price $7 or $8 less. it's important to shop around. >> so, as always, bargain shop. you never know. >> which brings me to something else called ecosquid, another website. it's like the orbitz of recommerce. >> aggregator. >> you put in whatever you're selling and it brings up all of these that they're partnered with. and they'll give you the best prices they can find for you. if they can't sell it, if there's nowhere that anybody wants your old electronics, they'll tell you where you can recycle it. some places will actually send you a mailing label to recycle your electronics. >> that's the important part, keeping these electronics out of the landfill, which is important from an environmental

standpoint. >> and out of your kitchen drawers. >> an important point, erasing your data, before you turn that machine in, get your personal stuff out of that machine. >> it's the easiest thing to do. it's so important to do. all you do is you go on, you hit your settings really quick. right at the bottom of your ipad there's something called reset. my advice to everybody is always do a factory reset. reset all settings and contacts. >> basically takes it back to the condition it was in before you got it, pictures, numbers, text messages, done out of there totally. >> yes. >> makes sense. for folks who got the original ipad in the last two weeks, they have an option for the next few days. >> they do. if they bought it at an apple store or online, apple will give them $100 refund within 14 days because apple did drop the price of the original ipad. >> very cool. always good advice. thank you for being here. we appreciate it. good advice for all the folks out there who get frustrated because they get something and two days later there's a better version out there. >> technology.

>> that's your world. for more information from andrea and how to resell your used electronics, check out our facebook page which is wnnfans.com. book page which i wwnnfans.com. thanks again.

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the chores? how do we keep from fighting? how do we have more sex? answer these questions and you have the key to the perfect marriage. but where do get these answers? oprah? dr. ruth? try alan greenspan. >> economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. what is more scarce in your marriage than time, energy, libido, love. >> reporter: the authors of "spousonomics" say the key to a life of love is economic analysis. take jack and jane in their chores. if jack has to do the laundry half the time, jane should, too, right? >> right, 50/50's fair. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: it might sound fair but economics says folly. >> if you're doing half and i'm doing half of each task, then the time we're spending on everything is actually greater than if we specialized in tasks. >> reporter: it's called comparative advantage. say it takes jack 30 minutes to do the laundry and 20 minutes to walk the dog. jane can do the laundry in 45

minutes and walk the dog in 25. if they each do the tasks half the time it takes them a total of 420 minutes a week. but if jack just does laundry and jane just walks the dog, they save 36 minutes a week. extra time for tv, relaxation or sex. you are giving me permission not to clean the bathroom? >> i see where we're going with this. >> reporter: what about fighting? >> we never fight. >> what do you mean never fight? >> reporter: the old advice, never go to bed angry. >> that's bad advice. >> right. >> reporter: economics says sometimes at least, shut up and stay angry. >> we hate to lose. economists quantified we hate to lose twice as much as we like to win. >> reporter: it's called loss aversion. in stocks it explains how traders holding a loser of a stock refuse to sell. in marriage it explains how we keep fighting, even if no one's going to win. >> you see what he said, no one's going to win this. >> reporter: really, it's basic economics. john berman, abc news, new york.

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this morning on "world news now" -- winter twisters. the tornado damage in the deep south and the deep troubles as the storm system moves to the northeast. >> the unusual severe weather and the wide path of destruction. it's thursday, march 10th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm rob nelson. flood watches and advisories are posted in several states today because the storm system is bringing some drenching downpours to areas that are already under water. >> take a look at that car. that's just one scene of many. also coming up today, the president and first lady address a frightening problem in schools nationwide. bullying. we're going to check out one

school's program that is making a difference. >> one scary stat i heard yesterday, 13 million kids across the country report being bullied. those are just the ones to report being bullied. >> a huge issue. >> scary. >> it's really just coming to the surface. later in this half hour, using music to make a point. a libyan-american hip-hop performer uses his talent to send home a message. certainly his country still in the midst of this crisis. and no end in sight there. hear what his message is. before we get to all that, we go to the widespread storm damage in the south and today's big threat here in the northeast. >> and there is a state of emergency across much of the south after flooding, downpours and also tornadoes. and this morning there are watches and warnings posted in a big section of the country. our coverage now begins with abc's brad wheelis. good morning, brad. >> reporter: good morning. the storms in the southeast left a path of destruction and the intense weather system is headed to a part of the country already hard hit. just look at the damage in silver hill, alabama, one of the areas torn apart by a powerful

system that tore across texas before hitting the deep south. the same system dumped several inches of rain here in alabama where storm damage was reported in at least 17 counties. the downpours drenched a big area and into the florida panhandle. >> there's the rotation. look how low that one is. that one's nasty. >> reporter: but it was the late winter twisters in bell, louisiana, that left the most destruction. one woman was thrown from her home. upon impact, she broke three ribs. >> it was scary. she thought she was going to die. i mean, she can't believe she's alive. >> reporter: the damaging rainfall is causing mudslides in north carolina. it's a big concern as the storm moves to the already saturated northeast. in northern new jersey, sandbagging crews are busy because of today's added threat. many communities are water-logged. you can see from the air, it's dire. the owner of this new jersey antique shop is packing up after getting flooded three times. >> there's no sense in waiting for them to say, oh, my god, there's a problem. it's too late. >> reporter: it's miserable in the midwest as well.

after a half foot of snow fell on milwaukee. and here in the west, some areas expect more rain from a pacific front. that's after a big windstorm that knocked out power for thousands earlier this week. peggy and rob? >> now we get the latest on all those watches and warnings and this big threatening storm system. >> accuweather meteorologist ava dinges brings us up to date. good morning. >> good morning, rob and peggy. a very volatile weather pattern across the east coast. this time across the eastern mid-atlantic from north carolina back into virginia, even into southern maryland where a few storms could produce isolated tornadoes, high winds and the potential for hail. alongside that we'll be tracking extremely heavy rain. this is a slow-moving storm system. this rain is going to be stuck in place all the way into friday morning. some places in the northeast in that dark shading of green, another 3 to 4 inches of rain.

back to you, rob and peggy. >> thanks a lot, ava. now we turn to a developing story out of china this morning. a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck a province in that country's southwest region not far from the border with myanmar. there are now a growing number of fatalities, at least a dozen. china's news agency is reporting several injuries. a supermarket is among the buildings that collapsed. a student from saudi arabia has been indicted by a texas grand jury on terrorism. prosecutors say khalid adawsari was attempting to build a bomb with components he bought online. he was considering attacks on dams, nuclear plants and the dallas home of former president bush. if he's convicted, he could spend life in prison. heartbreaking story this morning. a small central pennsylvania community is rallying today to help a family that has been totally devastated. >> unbelievable. seven of the family's eight children were killed when their home went up in flames. t.j. winick has the details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, rob

and peggy. apparently two of the children, ages 2 and 3, were watching television at the time. the parents quite understandably are described as distraught. the peaceful surroundings of this dairy farm belie the heartbreaking tragedy that unfolded here. seven children, ages 7 months to 11 years old, died tuesday night when this two-story home went up in flames. it's now believed the fire was sparked after one of the children was playing with a space heater. >> the mother was in the barn milking cows. the 3-year-old child came into the barn to alert her there was smoke that was inside of the residence. >> reporter: the mother, janelle clouse, had her neighbor call 911. then ran to find her husband, theodore. he was out on his milk delivery route but had pulled over on the side of the road to take a nap behind the wheel. >> once the father was alerted,

he immediately rushed back to the house. at that time, the fire department was already on scene. the residence was fully engulfed. >> reporter: firefighters in this rural pennsylvania community, 20 miles north of harrisburg, battled the blaze, but they couldn't save the children. all seven succumbed to smoke inhalation. >> they both feel, you know, what they could have done -- anything they could have done different would have helped. >> reporter: fire officials sifted through the evidence. the parents, who survived along with the 3-year-old, are described as distraught. >> be a shock to anybody. i don't know how you could -- how you'd feel if you lost one child, let alone seven at a time. >> reporter: grief counselors were made available for fellow students and friends of the children at the schools they would have been attending. rob and peggy? >> heartbreaking. the three-week long political fight over wisconsin's budget may be over after senate republicans voted last night to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers. they voted after finding a way to bypass involvement from

democrats who left the state to avoid that debate. the bill should easily pass in the assembly today and the governor's ready to sign it. >> politics is interesting, too. maneuvering there to get the democrats almost totally -- >> you can say that again. it's nice they're coming back to the state, you know. >> cross back into state lines. it's not over yet, i have a feeling. the president and first lady are taking a stand against the growing problem in this country of bullying. >> the obamas, parents to two preteen daughters, host a national conference at the white house. karen travers has a preview. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning. we spent some time this week with several high school students who will be at this white house conference on bullying. they were telling us the ways they're trying to prevent more bullying and educate their fellow students on the problem. >> shows 13-year-old being kicked -- >> alleged attackers are behind bars. >> reporter: over the last year the headlines have been shocking. unrelenting bullying, enough to drive several young people to commit suicide. today the president and the first lady will get involved personally. they're hosting a first of its kind white house conference on bullying.

>> it's tough enough to be a kid today, and our children deserve the chance to learn and grow without constantly being picked on, made fun of or worse. >> reporter: the conference brings together teachers, parents and students, including michael and monique. we talked to them this week at their maryland high school. they serve as teen mentors in an after-school anti-bullying program called you have the power. >> we're telling them how they themselves can deal with it if they're a victim of bullying. we're explaining to them how they could help others. >> reporter: michael, monique and other sherwood high school teens work with elementary and middle school age students, teaching them how to recognize bullying, deal with it and prevent it. >> it made me feel empowered that i changed something and that i could make a difference. >> reporter: that is exactly the message the white house wants americans to take from today's

conference. studies have shown bullying can begin at a young age and continue all the way through high school. every year an estimated 13 million students are bullied in some form in american schools. karen travers, abc news, washington. it was a big haul for police in southern california who seized a lot more than they planned. >> this is a funny story. a drug raid yielded more than 2200 marijuana plants and a watchdog, which actually was a four-foot long alligator. >> he looks friendly, though. >> too high to be mean. animal control officers say the gator was well cared for. >> the pot-guarding alligator was taken to a wildlife sanctuary. i think willis knows this guy. his name is wally and they're thinking of changing this alligator's name to marley, as in bob marley, which may be more suitable. ♪ don't let them fool you >> we'll be right back with more. i'm just a piece of dust living at the corner of j and k,

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welcome back, everybody. for many americans the crisis in libya is something going on halfway around the world and really has little to do with their lives. but for others, it is something that really does hit right at home. >> absolutely. that includes a libyan american hip-hop artist who has been inspired by his countrymen. aaron katersky has more. ♪ >> reporter: you've got such a compelling backstory. how did you get to where you are? >> my father was actually in jail in libya for five years. he was tortured every single day. he was part of the student protest that was against gadhafi's regime. i remember the lashes on his back, the scars he would get, but he escaped before he was supposed to be executed. he made it to tunisia on foot. in the subsequent years he was

kind of on the run from country to country while gadhafi's goons were out to get him, basically. >> reporter: given your family history and hearing what's going on in the country now, is there any doubt in your mind about what the opposition is facing or about what the rebels are saying is actually going on in the country? >> there's not a shred of doubt. we've been speaking to people on the inside on a daily basis. they're are really gruesome horror stories, things that aren't even making the mainstream news. we hear they're going into hospital and killing doctors, ransacking blood banks and pouring out blood so nobody can get donations. we've heard they're driving injured protesters into the hospitals and killing them there so it doesn't look like they were killed out in the streets. the saddest part is that it's not shocking to us. you know, it's not a surprise. >> reporter: is a positive outcome possible? >> people have gotten too close to turn back now. it's not a matter of if gadhafi will be gone, it's a matter of when he'll be gone.

♪ if you never heard before or seen me before i turn the lights out ♪ >> reporter: what's the new song about? >> the new song we should be releasing today is "can't take our freedom." ♪ visions of dreams i should have seen ♪ ♪ but if the people in egypt and tunis can do this decide their fate why wouldn't we ♪ >> it's basically an uplifting song to give hope and motivation to the people inside libya and let them know we're watching and we're hoping and praying for them. >> reporter: do you have a favorite lyric you can share? >> basically the chorus sums it up and says you can't take our freedom, you can't take our soul, you are not the one in control. it's letting us know and letting everybody else know that regardless of what this maniac does, what this brutal psychopath does, the people still have their freedom on the inside. everybody's in high spirits. he's not going to take that away from us. ♪ can't take our freedom and take our souls take our freedom and take our souls ♪

♪ you are not the one that's in control ♪ ♪ you are not the one that's in control ♪ >> reporter: thanks very much. i really appreciate it. it's great to meet you. >> no problem. thank you for having me. >> interesting guy there. you have to wonder, he made that comment about gadhafi, when he leaves, but all the news reports these days suggest he's retaking control of the country, so you don't know whether gadhafi is really out certain of yet. he's inspired. coming up, who's playing sarah palin in a new made-for-tv film and it is not tina fey. >> going rogue! and charlie sheen says he's sorry. who's getting an apology and why? your latest charlie sheen news. your latest charlie sheen news. why? your latest charlie sheen news. ú ú ú p

♪ skinny so skinny time now for "the skinny." >> oh, yes. let's get the charlie sheen out of the way. i know we're on charlie overload. let me get through this. he gave another radio interview and shockingly offered apology to one individual and also made an endorsement for who he'd like

to see get his job on the show as the new charlie harper. take a listen. >> now, you know, i'll apologize to jon right now. i was in a mood and i threw that out there. >> are you apologizing now to jon cryer? >> a little bit. it's half an apology. it's an apol. talking to rob, a buddy of mine, he's a beautiful man, a brilliant actor and i hope he does it and kicks [ bleep ] because, you know, i still get pa-zayed. >> he still gets paid. >> there you have it. charlie kind of apologizing to his co-star jon cryer because he said yesterday, oh, he's a troll, called him all these names and what he offered there was a half apology. trying to mend fences there a little bit. and also endorsed rob lowe to be the guy to come in and take his spot on the show. other names floated around including matt dillon, john stamos and jason alexander, george from "seinfeld" jokingly threw his name in. seems like maybe this media tsunami as he called it is coming to an end. >> oh, please. >> he was back on "the dan

patrick show" yesterday where this all began and said, this could be my final interview, which is symbolic. this is where it all began and where it all ends. he says i'm fed up with the media because he thinks they twisted his story and have been condescending in the way they put his story out there. this could be it. also more charlie news he put a posting out monday for an intern to help him out. 74,000 people have applied on internships.com to be charlie sheen's intern. what that job would entail, god, who knows. a lot of folks, recession still out there. >> i do agree, it's a sign of sanity that he apologized to jon cryer because that guy's done nothing wrong. he's been standing on the sidelines quite wisely. >> could be charlie media could be winding down, maybe. tina fey, move on over, here comes julianne moore, talking about the adaptation of the book "game change" about the 2008 presidential election. >> a fantastic book. >> when everybody got interested in this newcomer called sarah

palin. now, many people have been on palin overdose but it looks like julianne moore has been tapped to play her in the film adaptation. we want to know what you think about this. go to our facebook page wwnfans.com and let us know. who should play obama, mccain -- >> the rest of the crew. >> the snow machine, todd. >> the whole thing, the whole gang. also sad news. this is a story we talked about a little bit we couldn't get to yesterday. from "celebrity rehab," you knew mike starr who passed away. >> so tragic, his friend from alice in chains also passed away. it was so sad to lose him because it looked like he was going to make it. >> he had several troubles. >> tough, tough addiction. >> reports he was actually mixing drugs hours before his death, so we went to send our condolences to his family. also back in the news, the salahis. >> salahi was booted from "celebrity rehab" because she lacked an addition other than being a media attention monger. >> her husband says he's going to sue for kicking her off but says her only addiction is

chocolate and "us weekly." whatever she spends her time reading. >> salahis, go away, go away. >> take a step back. >> crash the mental institution, how about that? n, how about that? >> take a step back. >> crash the mental institution, how about that? r stroke but if you've been diagnosed with p.a.d., or have pain or heaviness in yur legs, i want to talk to you. you may have heard of poor leg circulation, which could be peripheral artery dsease, or p.a.d. with p.a.d., if you have poor circulation in your legs, you may also have poor circulation in your heart or in your brain, your risk for heart attack or stroke is more than doubled with p.a.d. now, ask yourself: am i at risk? if you're not sure, call for this free information kit to learn more. [ female announcer ] call the toll free number on the screen now to find out what the risks of p.a.d. really are. you'll find a 7-point checklist

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so you hardly know it's there. plus it keeps its shape better... and absorbs up to 60% more. ♪ always infinity. created by women for you. here are some stories to watch on abc news. pro union protesters target indiana's republican state lawmakers today. the republicans back anti-union legislation to cut the state budget and angry democrats left the state to avoid those votes on bills they strongly oppose. new labor department figures on weekly unemployment claims are released later on this morning. wall street investors hope a positive economic trend continues after a drop in claims last week. lindsay lohan due in court in los angeles today. there are reports the actress will not accept a plea deal on charges she stole that necklace from a store. lohan is apparently fighting jail time. >> more charlie and lindsay every day.

man. finally this half hour, the end of an amazing 27-year career. we're talking about the shuttle "discovery," which touched down wednesday for its last time. >> this is the world's most flown spaceship and it will now be retired. it will spend the rest of its days at the smithsonian. kevin oliver has more on the end of an era. >> down and locked. >> reporter: you might see "discovery" again but never like this. never again will it fly on its own. nasa's oldest shuttle touched down, ending its 39th and final mission. >> to the ship that has led the way time and time again, we say farewell, "discovery." >> reporter: the shuttle commander, steven lindsey, was the last to climb out. >> as the minutes passed i'm getting -- actually getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight. >> reporter: shuttle manager said "discovery" came back with fewer problems than on any previous mission in its 27-year history, despite a shrinking work force and looming layoffs

next month. >> the people working on this machine didn't skip a beat today. there were no big, you know, emotional outbursts and tears and all that kind of stuff. >> reporter: some said they didn't think the end of the shuttle program would truly sink in until after the last missions of "endeavour" and "atlantis." >> we've got two more flights. we need to keep the focus on those flights and stay diligent and keep working those flights just as hard as we did this flight. >> reporter: nasa planned to move "endeavour" out to the launchpad for final mission but a forecast of afternoon thunderstorms delayed that move. there may have been a strong headwind and a few clouds but the weather early on was just right for "discovery's" final homecoming. "discovery" is headed to its hangar will where it will be decommissioned. engines and other key parts will be taken off. then it is likely going to the smithsonian in washington, d.c. where it will be put on public display. while museums across the country vie for the other two shuttles

"atlantis" and "endeavour." at the kennedy space center, kevin oliver for abc news. >> incredible. you can see why they're gettingo